


Close to You

by SparklingCamellia



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Boys have to do some soul searching, Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, This will be fluffy, distraction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:35:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24936151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparklingCamellia/pseuds/SparklingCamellia
Summary: Yusuke had never really had friends. They were hard to find and even harder to keep around. It just so happens that his new group of acquaintances decides to stay. Even though it feels weird, he tries to fit in. Maybe because of a new and exciting part in his life, maybe because of a chance to flee from his past, or maybe it is just the dark-haired boy that tends to distract him from his (very important) art projects.
Relationships: Kitagawa Yusuke/Kurusu Akira, Kitagawa Yusuke/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 10
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, I just wanted to write something for this pairing. So, this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it! Smut will come in at some point, just a heads up! :)

The sky looked like rain. The young man spent some more time looking out his window before realizing that he should finish getting ready if he did not want to be too late. He closed the small window, if it were to rain he did not want to risk flooding his dorm room, for which the paintings would probably thank him, as well as his sanity.

With a sigh, he put away the few things he would need, some money, the phone, his keys, and a fan. If it did not rain it would get warm at some point but he also knew that it always rained once he made plans. Granted, he had never really noticed before because planning things with friends was something entirely new to him.

As he walked towards the non-descriptive door of his dorm room, his stomach rumbled. Maybe he still had a snack lying around? He found some crackers, hastily putting them into his mouth, they would have to do. He had forgotten to eat while being absorbed in his work, something he was more than used to and something he only paid attention to because the people around him pointed it out from time to time. Okay, maybe all the time.

On his way to the station, his thoughts wandered back to the people he had met over the past few weeks. While those days had been arguably the weirdest he had ever experienced (paired with the loss of what he called home and a somewhat safe place), he was thankful for having them around. It was hard enough for him to form friendships and he kept making comments that no one understood or that were taken the wrong way, so even if he managed to find people he liked it was hard to make them want to stay around him without getting fed up.

He was trying to learn though. Determined to find out more about how people work and what makes them strive for what they wanted to achieve kept him going and would serve as new inspiration. The inspiration he currently lacked but he did not want to think about that. Not right now, when he was determined to enjoy the evening.

While waiting for the train, his phone beeped and he pulled it closer to his nose, the light of the screen too dim to make out the words before him.

 **Akira:** Yusuke, are you on your way?

He sighed as the train rolled in and boarded it, the ride would only take a few minutes but he nevertheless began typing a response. Akira was undoubtedly the reason for how his life had transformed and they had spent some afternoons together after what had happened in that sorry and frankly unaesthetic excuse of a palace. 

He sent a quick ‘On my way’ and put the phone away again, leaning his head against the cold window of the train. He had never been able to handle heat well and the approaching summer made it harder for him to stay cool. To distract himself, he let his thoughts wander and they eventually led him back to what had happened.

Thinking about what happened still hurt and he continued to bury most of his emotions deep down in his being. He was not used to showing too much of them and prided himself to be mostly pragmatic anyways. That he would make friends with such a diverse group had surprised him but he felt strangely at ease around them. So much so that he had agreed to go along with their plan of seeing the fireworks together.

Twisting a strand of his blue hair around his finger he began watching those around him, a pastime and exercise that helped him make sense of the world. He immediately noticed a few others dressed in more traditional attire like himself. Most of them were heading towards where he was going, ready to have an eventful evening. As the train rolled into the station he politely waited for a few people to step onto the platform before he followed.

It did not take him long to find the first three of his new friend group. While it was hard to make out the cat ears sticking out of Akira’s bag, Ryuji’s blonde hair was a dead giveaway for where they were waiting for him. As if on cue, Akira turned around, a lopsided grin on his face. 

“There you are!”  
Yusuke returned the gesture with a small nod. As always, he did not need to say much around their leader, he had been one of the first amongst the group that realized that even though it did not always seem like it, Yusuke liked to be quiet too. Unsurprisingly, the silence was rudely interrupted by their other friend.

“Woah, what are you wearing?!”  
While Ryuji had been hard to get used to in the beginning, Yusuke had taken a liking to him. As blunt as he was, he appreciated that the blonde tended to speak his mind in equal measure, may it be a lot ruder than he liked to admit.

“I believe this is the traditional outfit. Why aren’t you wearing one?”  
Ryuji snorted, "I don't have a yukata. You really are weird. I was thinking that the girls might wear something like that, but you? Guess I should not be surprised.”  
Before Yusuke was able to say anything in return, Akira intervened, “I did not bring mine. It’s… at home. Otherwise, I would have looked like you.”

Yusuke met his eyes and they grinned while Ryuji made fun of both of them. He quickly changed the topic though as a group of girls walked past them.  
“Ok… right. How about we ask some of those ladies to spend their evening with us?”  
“No, Ryuji,” Akira’s voice sounded more serious and as he began bickering with his blonde friend, two girls approached Yusuke.

They asked him if he wanted to go see the fireworks with them, something that made him feel uncomfortable. He did not know them and was not interested in changing that, so he bluntly spoke his mind, as always, which resulted in them scurrying away. Ryuji watched him, mouth hanging open and began protesting as Ann and Makoto arrived.

Ann, as always, started scolding Ryuji while Makoto simply shook her head. Their newest addition certainly added some maturity to their team. Yusuke had spaced out, something he caught himself doing from time to time when he realized that Ann had just called him a pretty boy. 

“But you are missing out on a lot of things,” she added with a smile and he pulled up his eyebrows. Was he? He hadn’t noticed. Instead of answering, he simply shrugged and looked to Akira who obviously tried to not laugh at the situation. He did not manage completely and when he spoke up a smile was still visible on his face.

“Let’s go, shall we?”  
As if on cue, as they all tended to do once Akira said something that they all agreed with, their group began moving and looking for a place from which they were able to see the night sky. While Ryuji continued talking to Makoto and Ann, the topics switching between exams and some new restaurant they wanted to try, Akira hung back, matching his steps to those of Yusuke which must have looked weird. While Yusuke was walking comfortably, his stride forced Akira to make comically big steps, so he forced himself to slow down a bit.

“Thank you," Akira breathed, right, he did not miss things like that.  
“No problem,” Yusuke murmured, taking a look at the young man beside him. Akira was dressed in his typical attire, jeans, a black t-shirt, and an unbuttoned shirt. He pushed up the glasses he was wearing, glasses that Yusuke suspected did nothing to correct his eyesight. He did not talk about it but found it a bit weird that he was still wearing them. 

Before he could rack his brain for a suitable conversation starter, as mentioned he struggled with things like that, Akira beat him to it.  
“How are you? Everything good since the last time we met?”

He was talking about the exhibition in which Yusuke had faced a minor breakdown as he was told that his painting was empty.  
The taller boy chuckled, “I am alright. It takes more than that critic to make me grow desperate. I have to thank you though, your company made me feel more serene in the matter of a few minutes. It really is a special talent of yours.”

Akira smiled and Yusuke spotted Morgana rolling his eyes from where he was tucked away in their leader’s bag.  
“You always know what to say, huh?” Akira said and Yusuke raised an eyebrow.  
“Is that so? I have to admit I tend to struggle with expressing what I want to say or convey. Words are not my strongest suit, you might have noticed.”

Could cats snort? If not, Morgana had a special talent.  
Akira turned to look at Yusuke, “I think it’s refreshing to have you around. One never has to question what is going on, you say it like it is. In that artistic way of yours.”  
Yusuke could feel himself smile and resort to a slight nod. He was not used to being praised for something like that, in the past, everyone was always focused on his art and that was that. The memory of how his life had been was accompanied by a pang to his heart and he swallowed forcefully.

Before they were able to continue their conversation, Makoto decided to stop where they were, “This looks like a good place. What do you think?”  
They all nodded, thankful for not having to continue walking and Ann checked her phone. She looked great in her yukata, Yusuke made a mental note of the color scheme, maybe it would lead to a new painting. 

He felt his ears grow hot as he remembered how he had approached her the first time they met. While she insisted that it was ok and had forgiven him, he was determined to make it up to her somehow. He still wanted to paint her, naturally, a form like hers deserved to be depicted but refrained from asking for the time being. He would paint all of them sooner or later but that was something he would approach in the future.

“Ahhh, something wet fell on me!!!” Morgana’s shriek made them all flinch and they soon realized that the cat (he was not a cat, Yusuke reminded himself) was right. It only took a few seconds for the rain to really start pouring and the crowd dispersed as quickly as it has formed, an admirable trait for Tokyo masses.

“Let’s find an awning!” Ryuji screamed and charged for the next shopping street. They followed him but even though they found a suitable place in a matter of minutes, their clothes were soaked by the time they caught their breaths.

The wet fabric of his yukata began sticking uncomfortably to his skin and Yusuke already felt goosebumps forming on his arms. While Ryuji was busy staring at Ann wringing out her garment, Yusuke sighed and put the fan he had brought to his forehead. That would at least spare his face from getting too wet. 

Akira was standing next to him, pushing Morgana’s head into his back. Their smallest team member kept complaining but as soon as he realized how sheltered the bag was, his cries died down.  
“That cat though,” Akira muttered and was immediately rewarded with a muffled, “I am NOT a cat!”

Yusuke shared a small smile with the boy next to him and watched as Akira took off his glasses to dry them on the hem of his shirt. A shirt that had grown see-through thanks to the rain. Yusuke watched how it stuck to more prominent parts of Akira’s physique. Fascinating as it was, he felt that it was weird to ogle at their leader.

He had caught himself staring at Akira more often in the past few days. He was an interesting object to look at, uniting a seemingly endless number of little quirks that made it hard to read him from time to time. Still, Yusuke had never been that interested in watching a guy. Well, apart from that one time in middle school.

He flinched at the memory. Madarame had of course noticed his thoughts wandering during art sessions and it had resulted in one of the many times during which Yusuke had been locked out of his room. The memory reminded him of how he would have a better life from now on but he still could not hold back the sigh that escaped his lips. This had to be another one of those weird phases, right? It would eventually go away, whatever it was.

A hand on his arm made him look up. Akira was staring at him.  
“Are you alright?”  
“Of course, just a memory,” Yusuke responded and tried to look more relaxed, waving his fan through the air. He could see that Akira was not convinced but they dropped the topic as Ann began ushering them into a nearby convenience store.

It was not that Yusuke did not want to talk about his past. He simply did not know how to approach the topic and suspected that no one really wanted to listen to his upbringing, even if it would probably explain some of his weirder quirks. Growing up so sheltered had formed him into a somewhat awkward and socially inept teenager. Maybe he should talk about it sometime. Akira would listen, right?

Trying to pull himself out of this thoughts, Yusuke tried focusing on the way his teammates were talking about Kaneshiro and what to do next. He was glad that they had not noticed him spacing out for a second and took part in the conversation until Makoto pointed out that she would have to get home. It would be best for all of them to be on their way and, surprisingly, he found himself alone with Akira on his way to the subway station. Right, they sometimes had to take the same trains, depending on the time of day.

A comfortable silence settled between them and they both had to smile as Mona's quiet snores broke through the fabric of Akira’s bag. That outing might have been too much for their team member and when they entered the station, Yusuke became aware of how much the water weighed down his garments and how exhausted it made him. Akira seemed to notice the disgruntled look on his face.

“Is it uncomfortable?” He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side and pointed at the wet fabric.  
“It is definitely not pleasant,” Yusuke said and wished to be back in his dorm. The train ride would not take long and Akira would spend even more time on the train, so he turned to him. Should he inquire about his level of comfort? Was that the norm?

He cleared his throat as they stepped onto the train, they had to stand but it did not matter to him that much.  
"How about you? Is your shirt bothering you?”  
Yusuke cringed inwardly at how weird his question sounded but instead of giving him a questioning look, Akira looked down at his white shirt.

“Not pleasant as well. But I’ll live,” he grinned up at the taller boy and began leaning casually against one of the train’s closed doors. Yusuke nodded slowly, that somehow went well. He could not stop himself before saying, “I am sorry that it rained. Bad weather seems to be following me.”

“Is that so?" Akira seemed to be curious as to why he would say something like that and Yusuke thought about it for a moment.  
“It almost always rains when I plan things outside. I am of course usually not out with friends, so when it happens I am the one that gets wet, trying to make sure that my supplies stay safe. I have lost a few wonderful sketchbooks to the rain.”

He sighed, remembering one of his best quality sketchbooks that had to be put to rest after a particularly vicious rainstorm.  
"No friends, huh?”  
Was Akira trying to get him to say something?

“I…,” Yusuke stopped, unsure as to how to proceed. Telling the truth was probably the thing he should go for, even if it meant showing a more vulnerable side of him, something he did not have any practice in.

“I never really went out with groups of people or even one person before meeting all of you. Sen- ,” he stopped himself, "Madarame always had plans for us after school and even if I wanted to form friendships, no one wanted or wants to do something. Even now, without his influence, fellow students avoid me and do not talk to me. I thought it was because of my scholarship but I think they just do not like me.”

He tried to sound nonchalant, even added a shrug while telling Akira about this part of his life in a pretty even voice. When the black-haired boy stayed quiet for at least a minute, Yusuke was afraid that he had given away too much. Maybe he was not interested in knowing more about his life after all and he had just unloaded a bunch of information on him that he wanted nothing to do with.

Even though he was still clad in the wet fabric, Yusuke felt his face grow hot and almost did not want to hear what Akira was about to say once he opened his mouth.  
“It is their loss because they are missing out on spending time with you. I always enjoy it,” the calm way in which he expressed his thoughts made Yusuke pull in more air than he needed and he tried not to cough.

Akira must have sensed his bewilderment because he continued, “I know that most people call you weird. Even I did the same thing but I think we, as in the whole group, really value you as a team member and friend. So, if you ever need someone to talk to or just to hang out, watch a movie, eat (he pointedly looked at him at that word), or anything else, just shoot us all a quick message. Or text me. I’ll try and respond every time. If I don’t then Morgana is probably chastising me for not sleeping.”

The way he grinned made it hard for Yusuke to find the right words to respond, so he settled on, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”  
“Always so formal. Well, that’s just you I suppose,” Akira continued smiling as they neared Yusuke’s stop.  
“Sorry, I-“  
“Don’t apologize. It’s alright.”

Unsure what to do Yusuke tried to smile and it apparently was enough for Akira, who gave him an encouraging nod.  
“That’s your stop, right?”  
“Oh, yes. Right. Um… I’ll see you?”  
“Only a phone call away. And, let me know when you are home,” Akira raised his hand to wave as Yusuke left him to step onto the platform. He hesitantly waved back and caught the last glimpse of a tired smile on his friend’s face, as the train left the station.

Now all he had to do was walk home. Kosei’s dorms weren’t that far away from the station and it only took him a few minutes until he arrived at what he now called home. While peeling himself out of his yukata, he thought back to this evening. It had not been a long meeting but he felt strangely content. The way in which his friends bickered and how they had included him into their group continued to amaze him. 

Then there was the matter of his friendship with Akira. He had met up with Ryuji and Ann once or twice too but admittedly liked spending time with their leader the most. When he had put on a pair of sweatpants, something he would deny to everyone around him should they ask if he owned loungewear, he realized that Akira had asked him to text once he got home.

He pulled up the messaging app and tapped on Akira’s name.

 **Yusuke:** I have arrived safely. Thank you for the meeting today.

Yusuke pressed send before he could think twice and thought about what to do now. It was still kind of early so he could try and get some sketches done for his class on anatomy. As he pulled out his pencils, his phone pinged and it was indeed Akira who had answered him.

 **Akira:** Sounds good. I have just stepped into Leblanc. Morgana has run off immediately, probably to continue sleeping. Well, I guess this is good night. Make sure to not stay up too late.

Yusuke was confused, why would he include that last sentence?

 **Yusuke:** I don’t know why you are concerned with my sleeping pattern but I’ll make sure to go to sleep at an appropriate time. Good night to you, as well.

He put the phone away and put it on silent trying to focus on the sketches he had to get done. What did it matter that he still stayed up until three in the morning or that the way in which he shaded the arms and shoulder portions of the studies he sketched out tended to look a little bit like what he had spotted through the sheer material of Akira’s shirt a few hours prior? Surely nothing that he should concern himself with as he finally gave in to sleep and managed to catch at least a few hours before he had to get up.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days passed in something that could almost be called a routine. Yusuke got up, started painting, stopped (sometimes) to eat something but got mostly sucked into his work and, of course, school. The team went to Mementos a few times and apart from the Medjed situation which stressed all of them out, things seemed to go smoothly for at least a few days.

The change of pace was welcomed by all of them. Yusuke had a big assignment to finish for school and even though he felt less inspired than usual, he had to focus on other things than their Phantom Thieves’ business or the fact that he had to adapt to a new living situation. The dorms still felt alien to him but he somehow managed to get by.

Things changed when Akira began receiving texts from someone called Alibaba, asking for a change of heart for Futaba Sakura in exchange for the skills necessary to go against Medjed. During meetings on this matter, Yusuke found himself spacing out more than usual. The weather had begun to grow even hotter and he had always struggled with the heat which was not something he was able to hide any longer.

It did not help that they had begun meeting in Akira’s room, or rather the attic without a door above Leblanc. While Akira made sure that they all stayed hydrated, and fed, much to the artist’s content, he dreaded the beads of sweat that began rolling down his neck. Even Ryuji commented on him looking not too good but Yusuke waved the concern away.

“I simply do not get along with heat. It will pass once the days get colder again," he muttered, grip tightening around the glass in front of him. Akira had purchased lemonade for all of them and the cold drink made everything seem a little better, at least for a while. While his hands stayed cool, thanks to the ice cubes floating in the drink, his face continued to grow hotter with sweat forming where his hairline met the skin of his forehead. 

“But Yusuke, the heatwave is only just beginning,” Makoto remarked, looking at him with worry in her eyes. Now all of them turned their eyes to him and adding to the heat of the attic, he felt his ears grow hot. He did not want them to worry and he certainly was not used to being the object of that emotion. Apart from that one time where he had fallen ill right before a big exhibition but that had been something else entirely.

“As I said, I'll manage. Do not worry, I won’t hold you back or anything,” Yusuke tried to appear self-assured but even he realized how exhausted he sounded. While the others turned back to discussing Alibaba and Futaba, Akira’s gaze stayed on Yusuke until the blue-haired boy looked down again. He did not want to be pitied for not being able to withstand a simple heatwave. It was ridiculous.

Really, he should be used to the weather and its extreme conditions. When he was still living with Madarame, the house got really hot during the summer and very very cold in the winter. He was used to working almost completely naked or bundled up in as many clothes as possible (which was not a lot in his case). What if he felt as if he had suffered a heat stroke more often than he cared to admit? He had finished whatever his project had been at the time so everything went well.

“Yusuke?”  
Right, he should work on that spacing out problem. When he looked up, Akira was still staring at him, furrowing his brow, but when he gave a short nod, their leader cleared his throat and instead of talking about what troubled them right now, they began making plans for a celebratory meal.

Thankful for the change in conversation and a topic that he welcomed, Yusuke used the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat from his face. To his surprise, Ryuji was watching him something that did not happen that often. Yusuke tried to give him a small smile and the blonde simply shrugged. Right, back to talking about food. Going out to eat always seemed to soothe their nerves and this time, it surely would not be different.

Yusuke had been proven right. Eating out, and excellent sushi at that, made them all feel better. Well, until they ran into the famous Detective Prince Akechi Goro and realized that Medjed had launched another attack at them. Now, faced with something the anonymous group called The Cleanse, they felt like they needed to act. It felt weird, after being relatively carefree for at least a few days, they now had to decide what to do. And be quick about it.

While no one wanted to confess to being the Phantom Thieves, they had to come up with another plan, rather sooner than later. That was why they found themselves in front of Sojiro’s house one night, determined to finally seek out Futaba. The house was dark, as most of the neighborhood and Yusuke was thankful for the breeze that accompanied them on their way towards the front door.

“Are we sure that we should do this?” Makoto asked and Yusuke could see the nervousness in her eyes. He himself felt uneasy, he liked the owner of Leblanc and did not want to be on his bad side. The café was one of the only places he truly felt at peace and the possibility of having taken that away weighed him down. He needed those ‘safe’ fixtures in his life, plus, some of the patrons would provide interesting sketching studies.

Next to him, Akira sighed through his nose, hands buried in his pockets as always. It was definitely interesting to watch him, too, something Yusuke had told himself a lot more often during the last weeks. He had sketched out the hunched figure of their leader time and time again, always discovering little details he had somehow missed before and was now able to recall his frame from memories instead of having to actively observe him.

He of course also drew the others, Joker simply held a special fascination.  
Yusuke pulled himself back from his thoughts as gray eyes landed on him, causing him to avert his own eyes to not having to look at the young man before him.

“Let’s do it. It is not like we’re breaking and entering,” Akira finally said and put up a cool facade but they were all able to sense his doubt. Nevertheless, they followed his example and stepped into the seemingly empty and almost completely dark house.

“That is certainly some kind of decoration,” Yusuke muttered as he spotted a small picture on the wall. The colors were too strong for the composition and almost looked as if they wanted to escape from the frame. He could not help himself, it simply had to be commented, hideous as it was. Ann snickered next to him and he realized that he was smiling as well.

“You just had to point it out, huh?”  
Yusuke shrugged, “Naturally.”

While Makoto was trying to make out if anyone was home, the TV seemed to be running at least, Yusuke wondered how it felt to live in a place that managed to radiate warmth even though so many things in the world went wrong. He tried to hold back a sigh and focus on their task at hand. They had to find out more, that was what they were here for.

His attempt on focusing was rudely interrupted by the power cutting out. Everyone stopped in their tracks, especially when they heard a high-pitched scream. Makoto’s voice barely hid her panic and in the dark, Yusuke tried to make out what was going on around him. Some of the streetlights from outside provided help but it was still hard to see, especially since he had never been in the house before.

An uneasy feeling began churning in his stomach. He did not have a big problem with the dark but it tended to remind him of when Madarame used to lock him in one of the small storage rooms. If he stayed there long enough it got dark outside and as a child, he had felt uneasy, not knowing when he would be allowed back out or, in some instances, if he would ever be let out again. A few times he had fallen asleep on the floor in that room and after Madarame stopped using that punishment for his students he still had to suppress a shiver whenever he entered the room.

It did not take long for him to learn how to behave to avoid that punishment but the few times he had to suffer through it made it hard for him to stay completely calm in the dark. Even to this day, he tended to leave on some source of light during the night, even if it resulted in not closing his curtains so that the streetlamp could shine into his room. He never admitted that fact about his personality to anyone, no one was staying over anyways but if they were to have to deal with darkness in the future, he probably would have to talk about it at some point.

Ann and Ryuji’s bickering pulled him back from his thoughts and he realized that they were talking about whether they should leave or not. His eyes had somewhat adapted to the dark by that point and were able to make out Akira’s frame, next to Makoto’s quivering shoulders.

Straightening, the artist walked towards them and carefully stepped into Makoto’s personal space, “Are you alright?”  
“I…”, she faltered and took a deep breath, “I just don’t do well in the dark. It’s ok, I’ll just move towards the exit.”  
She gave him a grateful look and walked towards Ann who was still arguing with the blond boy in front of her.

“Let’s just leave. Slowly,” Akira said in some sort of stage-whisper. Yusuke caught the barest hint of nervousness in his voice, he probably felt uneasy in the house, too. It was his patron’s house after all. They made their way towards the door and Yusuke followed, once again mulling over the situation, it was definitely better to leave while they had not been discovered.

He almost collided with Akira’s shorter frame as their leader abruptly stopped in his tracks. What had happened? A moment later Yusuke knew why, someone was in the house with them, he could feel it in his bones.

“I can sense someone’s presence,” Yusuke mumbled just as Makoto’s legs collided with the floor. Ann quickly helped her up again but it became blatantly clear that they should leave if only to give Makoto some peace of mind.

“Someone is here,” Akira agreed, quietly enough that only Yusuke could hear him. The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up and they both turned around only to be greeted by a girl wearing glasses. A sudden flash illuminated the narrow hallway and the girl vanished, her frantic footsteps echoing through the hallway.

It all happened in a split second but Yusuke could feel his heart beating fast against his ribcage as his ears were ringing with the screams of Makoto and Ann’s whimpering. Everything in him urged him to just run out of the house, find a place to catch his breath, and calm his heart. Akira was still standing in front of him though, somehow closer than before. He could smell the lightly scented shampoo from the mob of black hair right under his nose.

“Are you alright Futaba?!”  
Another voice cut through the darkness, startling them but they all knew the person it belonged to. Sojiro Sakura suddenly stepped into his own home. The others moved into the small space that led to the stairs while Akira and Yusuke stood rooted to their spot, not moving. Not for lack of trying on Yusuke’s part but something kept him where he was.

While Sojiro was still fumbling with something, Akira leaned closer to Yusuke, so close that he could feel his breath on his neck.  
“Yusuke? You can let go of me, you know?”  
“Huh?”

Very eloquent, Yusuke thought to himself and looked down as the beam of a flashlight illuminated the narrow space they were occupying. Sojiro’s eyes widened as he took in the way Yusuke and Akira were standing. At that moment, the artist realized that he had subconsciously reached for Akira’s arm, clutching the fabric of his shirt between his fingers to look for some kind of support.

He was able to feel the heat of Akira’s skin beneath his hand, the shirt did little to hide that fact from him. Even though the other boy had told him that he could let go, he did not get ready to shrug him off. Instead, Akira stayed still and waited for the artist to act. 

Yusuke immediately let go of his friend, feeling warmth creep over his face and trying to look anywhere but the man in front of them. He could see Akira smile from the corner of his eye, not angry or annoyed, just a simple and soft smile.

“Wait, are you two dating?”  
Sojiro was still occupied with what he found in his hallways, his eyes lingering on the two boys. Yusuke absentmindedly flexed his hand, trying to shake off the feeling of fabric between his fingers and took a small step back. 

“We’re just friends,” he quickly explained, suppressing the urge to follow Akira’s example and bury his hands in the pockets of his pants. Did he hear Morgana snicker from where he was hiding? They had bigger problems right now. 

Sojiro still gave them a suspicious look but quickly moved on to the topic at hand. Which gave Yusuke some time to think about what just happened. How and more importantly when had he grabbed for Akira’s arm? And why did the other boy just let it happen? Did Sojiro now think that they were a thing? Why was he even thinking about that? What was Akira thinking right now?

He barely registered that the others were beginning to move as he felt a hand on his back.  
“Yusuke, let’s go. Boss will tell us what’s going on,” Akira said, gently pushing Yusuke forward.  
His hand stayed on his back until they left the house and even afterward while walking next to each other, he stayed close.

Yusuke was able to hear the others talk about something to do with school (probably to act as if they had not just been caught redhanded in someone else’s house) and welcomed the silence between him and their leader. Still, he knew that they would talk about what had happened at some point, or rather that Akira would force him to open up about something. He did not look forward to it.

“Are you feeling better?” Akira finally asked, his gaze fixed on the sign of Leblanc in the distance.  
“Why wouldn’t I?” Yusuke knew that he sounded like a stubborn child and it was confirmed by Akira’s snort next to him.  
“Well, for one, you tensed up a lot while we were in the house and you did cling to my arm so tightly that I could feel your fingernails.”

Yusuke felt himself tense up again, “I don’t want to talk about it. I am sorry if I hurt you in any way. It was not my intention.” It was probably best to avoid the topic instead of having a heart to heart.

“Yusuke, you can talk to me, you know that, right?” Akira sounded calm but was he really? What if he was angry? Maybe Yusuke was wrong, maybe he should talk about it? He stopped in the middle of the street, surprised to see that Akira stayed by his side.

“I know… I am just not… used to opening up about things. It’s hard for me to put my thoughts into words, even though I seem to manage well enough to constantly make people tell me I am weird, so—“

Yusuke took a deep breath and continued walking, feeling Akira’s presence by his side. He did not want to elaborate further and was saved by their arrival at Leblanc. While Sojiro ushered them in, he glanced at Akira. The black-haired boy was still watching him and had never said anything regarding what he had just revealed.

Instead of returning the gaze, Yusuke leaned against the counter and tried to focus on Sojiro’s explanation once they had all somewhat settled in. He told them everything they needed to know and once again he felt himself beginning to grow jealous over the fact that other people had someone who watched over them. He had thought of Madarame that way for a very long time and in an, admittedly, twisted way of love.

Still, he felt a weird connection to Futaba, she tended to hide away from the world and the problems she would have to face would she emerge again. Yusuke pushed his struggles aside for a while and looked at his teammates. They all had the same look on their face, a fierce sense of wanting to help. It was time for them to slip back into their thieves’ persona.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can see that a few people are reading this, so thank you for doing that. This chapter is a bit longer and while I think it might take a little while before I update again, I hope you enjoy it! :)

Mondays always hit Yusuke in a weird way. His alarm blared at him from where he had put his phone the night before. When he returned home it took him a good hour to relax after what had happened at Sojiro’s house and what they had ultimately decided to do. 

He flexed his fingers before they were able to do anything they all had to get through the day ahead. While vacations had begun, most of them still had things they needed to take care of. Yusuke’s time would be spent in one of his extensive drawing classes (which stretched into his time away from regular classes) since he had to finish his summer project. No free time if you had to keep up your scholarship.

With a sigh he got up, rubbing his eyes and looking around his dorm room. An easel was propped up in one corner but he ignored it. His project was waiting in a classroom and from a look at his phone, he realized that he still had about 30 minutes until he needed to start. Sleep had been kind to him that night, probably due to being exhausted from the heat and what had happened.

After washing and putting on clothes, Yusuke managed to eat a small breakfast, he did eat from time to time and breakfast was easy enough, no need to cook a lot. When he had to leave he checked his bag, he probably would not return after painting and instead, just walk to wherever they were meeting that afternoon. 

Entering the classroom was an uneventful thing. No one greeted him apart from his teacher who gave him a short nod. Yusuke returned the gesture and walked over to where he was supposed to work. One thing he enjoyed about the classes was the fact that they were pretty much allowed to do whatever they wanted as long as they finished their projects. 

That was why most students who were still around and eager to finish their projects to enjoy some free time were wearing headphones. Yusuke soon joined them, starting some kind of classical music playlist that was supposed to be relaxing. When he opened his phone he realized that he had received a few messages since getting up. Most of them were from the Phantom Thieves Group Chat, Ryuji made sure that Yusuke knew where to meet up that afternoon and they quickly agreed that they would really be doing this.

Another message was from Akira and Yusuke tapped on his name, trying to not look suspicious even though he felt weird opening the private chat while surrounded by others.

 **Akira:** Feeling better?

Yusuke swallowed noisily, right back to the topic at hand, right? He looked around, most of his fellow students were already absorbed in their work. A girl next to him was busy eating some kind of cereal bar but paid him no attention.

 **Yusuke:** I am alright. How about you?

Akira took some time to get back to him, right he probably did not have time to freely spend with his phone while helping Sojiro around Leblanc. Yusuke began arranging the colors he wanted to use and stared at his painting. It looked alright, luckily no one seemed to notice that he lacked inspiration as of late. He wondered how long he would be able to hide that fact but for now, it worked.

After getting ready he once again looked at his phone, he had received a new message, and even though he wanted to act relaxed about it, he immediately opened the app. What was wrong with him?

 **Akira:** I see that you are still trying to evade the topic. But I’ll humor you, I am doing well. Currently learning how to brew coffee. It includes waiting so I thought I’d text you.

Right, he had once mentioned that Sojiro had begun to teach him how to make his coffee and by extension the curry that was sold in Leblanc. Akira mostly worked behind the counter not wanting to hurt business since word had gotten around that he had a criminal record. Yusuke pondered on that information, he still thought that it was unfair of everyone to simply brand Akira as a delinquent when he was obviously doing well. And looking so approachable. Wait, what?

He quickly shook his head and typed back a response.

 **Yusuke:** I do not wish to distract you from learning. I have to finish a painting, talk more later, alright?

He watched the bubbles appear as his friend typed a response and could almost imagine him smiling and shaking his head. One of the many things Akira did when he was not really annoyed at someone but thought that they were acting ridiculously. 

**Akira:** I’ll leave you be then. Go paint Yusuke. I already know that it will be a great work. See you later!

Yusuke put his phone away and had to take a moment to focus on what he was doing. How did Akira think that this could possibly be good? It lacked depth, meaning, and a feeling that should be evoked in whoever looked at the painting. The artist sighed and dipped his brush into one of the darker blues, there was no other way, he had to get on with his work.

Time flew by while at the same time seeming to crawl from minute to minute. Yusuke made decent progress on his painting even though he found himself being distracted from what he was doing time and time again. His thoughts kept wandering to what they were planning and more often than not, he spent a few seconds thinking about Akira.

When most students started packing, he angrily reached for his bag. This was getting ridiculous and he suddenly understood why Madarame had been furious when Yusuke had kept thinking about that one boy in middle school. Apart from the obvious things his guardian had spewed at him the main thing that annoyed him was that he became unfocused.

He shook his head slowly as his teacher praised his brush strokes and waited for him to leave so that he could be on his way. He was already running late so grabbing a snack was out of the question, especially since he needed his money for the train fare.

His stomach grumbled as he sat on one of the hard benches on the train but he ignored it. It was nothing new so he was used to it. The heat had increased once again and like many others around him, he fanned himself with his hand, hoping for it to ease some of the discomfort. It did not really work and he sighed, why did it have to get so hot during the summer?

When they finally all met up Yusuke realized that everyone looked miserable in the heat. Even Akira, he looked tired but grinned at the artist as he finally joined them. Ryuji was already clinging to a water bottle and after making sure that everyone was ready they quickly went to work on finding out how to get to Futaba’s Place.

Well, it did not really work out that well. Not only were they stranded far away from the palace when they entered the Metaverse, but it was also situated in a desert. Yusuke could hear Morgana meow loudly, his paws had to be extra sensitive to the heat that was immediately surrounding them.

“Wait, are we still wearing our regular clothes?!”  
Ryuji stared at himself and soon all of them followed. They were indeed still in their everyday clothes and while Morgana explained the supposed reason behind that Yusuke began rolling up his sleeves, already struggling with how the hot air restrained his breathing. He could feel Makoto’s eyes on him and soon after she asked Mona to change into his bus form, which would also be better for the cat’s feet.

Since they had to get to the palace they boarded the vehicle, Yusuke quickly slid onto the row in the back, leaning his forehead against the somewhat cool glass of the window. The AC was a sorry excuse for what it was supposed to do but they had to remember that Mona was not a real car so the took what they could get.

Next to him, Akira also struggled with the heat, taking sips from this water bottle every now and then before offering it to Yusuke and Ryuji. The water did not do much but offered a short relief from the heat that began building up inside the bus. While Ann and Makoto were busy talking, Yusuke tried to focus on the world outside of the bus, maybe he could use something for an upcoming assignment?

His stomach continued grumbling lowly but at that point, he did not know if it stemmed from hunger or the fact that he got carsick very, very easily. He swallowed dryly, turning his head around to try and distract himself by starting some kind of conversation with anyone on the bus and realized that Akira and most of all Ryuji were busy looking at Ann. 

Their friend had already sweated through her thin blouse and the outside of her bra was showing through the wet fabric. Yusuke only took a quick glance, Ann was beautiful but he never felt more interest in her than in wanting to paint her and eventually becoming friends. That was why he was not in her line of fire as she realized what the other two boys were doing. Akira had at least the decency to look as if he had been caught doing something that was not allowed.

It made Yusuke angry and he did not understand why. Or maybe he did but did not want to think about it. He tried to suppress a sigh but it did not work. He was too uncomfortable at that moment, his nausea increasing with every mile they put behind them and with his heart beating painfully against his ribs. He really did not feel too good and Ann and Ryuji’s bickering did not help.

“We’ll be there soon,” Akira’s voice pulled him from his brooding and he looked to their leader who immediately gave an answer to Yusuke’s unspoken question, “I can see that you are struggling. We all know that you get carsick easily and the heat is not helping at all, right?”

Instead of answering, Yusuke simply nodded and ruffled his hair, sometimes his long bangs annoyed him to no end, especially when it got hot. It took a second before he realized that he accidentally revealed more of himself than he had meant to when Akira gasped softly beside him. Yusuke quickly let his hand fall into his lap and bit his lip.

“Yus-“ Akira was interrupted by the sudden stop of the bus and all of them trying to grab onto something to not fall all over each other.  
“Finally!” Morgana’s voice ringed around them and they quickly climbed out of the vehicle. Perfect timing, Yusuke thought and made sure that his hair was obscuring the left side of his forehead. Akira was still watching him, something that had become a constant thing by now, not that Yusuke minded, it simply made him nervous. Especially since the things he did not talk about kept piling up and Akira would surely find some point at which he wanted him to spill the beans.

“Are you alright Yusuke? You look a bit green… and also pale,” Ann asked and he nodded shakily.  
“I will be alright but this palace might be one where I have to opt-out of things from time to time,” he slowly admitted and instead of being confronted with the anger he expected, his teammates only nodded in understanding.

Their acceptance overwhelmed him a bit which was why he allowed himself to just tag along as they entered the new surroundings. He vaguely noticed that they changed into their Thieves’ outfits once they met Shadow Futaba but since they were all exhausted at that point and also had to find out how to open the door that would allow them to progress in the palace, Akira made the decision to return to the real world instead of trying to find a way right now.

They found themselves back at Leblanc where Akira prepared coffee for all of them, well, apart from Ryuji who settled for soda. Even though it had cooled down a bit they all felt sticky and it did not take long for the girls to leave. Ryuji followed soon after they made plans to meet up again the next day and Yusuke remained alone with Akira and Morgana. 

Their smallest friend had fallen asleep on the table and Akira was busy washing the dishes, which gave Yusuke some time to decompress. He was still feeling slightly nauseous and stretched his legs, trying to get more comfortable. He barely noticed as Akira returned and sat down opposite him.

“Yusuke?”  
“Hm?”  
“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

That finally pulled him from his thoughts and he stared at Akira, eyes probably the size of saucers.  
“No need to look so shocked,” Akira snickered and Yusuke cleared his throat, thinking about what to say.

“I… Why? I mean we do not have school tomorrow but the trains are still running, aren’t they? Did I overstay my welcome?”  
He phrased his words carefully, no need to show that he was feeling… what was he feeling? Uncomfortable? No. Nervous? Maybe. Unsure would describe it best.

“Yusuke, calm down. I can see that you are exhausted. We can go to the bathhouse to quickly wash and after that, I can make something for you to eat. Have you eaten today?”  
Guilt crept into Yusuke’s heart, “Only breakfast. I had to get to that painting I need to finish and after that, we had our mission.”

“Then it’s decided. Stay here, Sojiro will not ask any questions, or rather he will only annoy me, and you can relax a bit. It is the first real day of our summer vacation and we have to return to the palace tomorrow. Why not spend some time together? Plus, you look really really tired, no offense.”

Yusuke nodded slightly. It seemed like a good decision when Akira laid it out like that and he was pretty much wiped out as it was. Making his way back home would probably finish him.  
“I do not want to impose but if it is alright with you, I’d like to stay,” he quietly admitted and felt his stomach flutter as Akira smiled at him.

“Then let’s get going, the bathhouse will close in 40 minutes! I can give you something to change into. You’ll probably be too tall for my clothes but since it is so hot it won’t be a problem!”  
Akira quickly vanished to the attic and returned with a bag soon after, ready to leave.

Yusuke just followed his example and was surprised when he realized that the bathhouse was not that far away from Leblanc. At this time of day, not a lot of people could be spotted on the premises and even more had left when they were ready to soak.

It did not necessarily feel weird to undress in front of Akira and if anyone were to judge it was Yusuke who kept sneaking glances at the other boy. During the time in which he came to know Akira, their leader had put on even more muscle mass while continuing to look lean. Yusuke looked down at his own body. 

He had always been slender, naturally but also because his body had adapted to not being fed properly. He was able to see that some of his muscles had become more visible due to his work as a Phantom Thief but since their training also made him burn through calories a lot faster he continued to look thin as a twig.

Pushing his thoughts aside he entered the bath, letting out a sigh as the warm water enveloped his frame. Akira had already found a spot in which they could relax, they shared the bath with only one elderly gentleman who seemed to be dozing off.

Being quiet with Akira did not feel weird, in fact, it was rather comfortable and Yusuke closed his eyes, trying to soak up the relaxing atmosphere. Time passed and he flinched when he felt a hand on his cheekbone. When he opened his eyes, Akira was staring at him intently. He was so close that Yusuke noticed that his eyes were not simply grey but almost black in some spots.

“Ehh… Akira?” he stammered and tried to move away from the other boy, his back hitting the tiles behind him and stopping him in his tracks. Akira looked down and took away his hand. Yusuke quickly looked around, they were alone, the other patron must have left while they relaxed.

“Sorry, I was just curious. I should have asked if you are ready to talk about it.”  
Yusuke felt himself furrowing his brows, what was Akira talking about? Suddenly it dawned on him and he unconsciously touched his hair, turning away slightly, not knowing what to do. When did things become so difficult?

“Yusuke? Can you look at me? I don’t mean to pry but I am your team leader and I want to know as much as possible about everyone. It is okay if you do not want to talk but maybe opening up will make things a bit easier?”

Yusuke chuckled but it did not sound humorous, what was he supposed to answer? Akira simply wanted to get to know him better, right? He would do the same thing for Ryuji, or Ann, or even Makoto. He lowered his hands and took a deep breath.

“As I said, I am not used to talking about… well, a lot of things. What do you want to know?”  
He could see Akira letting out a breath and realized that he was probably nervous too. It was weird to have this conversation naked in a giant bath he suddenly thought and shook his head to focus.

“Can you… move your bangs?” Akira asked, sounding hesitant and before he was able to change his mind, Yusuke brushed his hair back, revealing his forehead to the other. He could see that Akira tried to remain neutral but his eyes widened slightly.

“It looks worse than it is. Or was I guess. It happened a long time ago and since I always wear my hair like this I hardly notice anymore,” Yusuke quickly said, imagining what Akira saw.  
“Can I?” the other boy asked, raising his hand once again. Yusuke decided to take a leap of faith and nodded, immediately feeling Akira’s fingers trace the crooked flesh than ran from just down his hairline to the outer edge of his left eyebrow.

“What happened?”  
Yusuke sighed but decided to give into Akira’s curiosity, so he began explaining while keeping his eyes closed, not wanting to look at his friend.

“I must have been around ten or something like that. We were all working on new exhibition pieces. I was occupied with a smaller painting, at that age Madarame did not expect me to come up with grand paintings, he had other students for that. I did not want to work, so I stole away and got one of the mangas we kept around. They were outdated but I liked reading stories and hid in one of the unused rooms to indulge in something else than work.”

He slowly opened one eye and found Akira staring at him, listening closely, his hand back at his side. Yusuke’s hair was still pushed up and there was no need to hide it now, so he continued speaking.

“Madarame found me rather sooner than later. I should have expected it but I was just a child, so I did not think that far ahead. He was furious and dragged me back to my room where he placed me in front of the painting. I think it was a landscape. He asked me why I walked away from it and I just said that I did not want to paint right now.”

He could still feel the icy gaze of his former guardian and stiffened, “Madarame did not really hit us a lot, and if he did he mostly went for places that could not be seen by anyone outside of his house. I was surprised when he smacked me and the momentum made the small stool I sat on fall to the floor. I went down with it and hit my head on a box with paints. That is how I got that scar. It was not Madarame’s doing and I had a fitting explanation for it.”

Yusuke took a deep breath before continuing, “I started growing out my bangs soon after that. I did not want people to see the scar, it is hideous and I was often told by Madarame that it made me look weird. That is why I have this hairstyle and well… why I have the scar. It is not a big deal, I have grown used to it.”

After finishing his tale, Akira waited a few seconds before opening his mouth, “Yusuke. You do have that scar because of Madarame. He was not the one who actively gave it to you but if it were not for him you would not have it. Do not get me wrong, your hairstyle suits you but it is horrible that you feel that you have to hide that part of yourself.”

Yusuke felt his ears grow hot and looked down, causing his hair to fall back over his eye. They were interrupted by the owner of the bathhouse, they had already overstayed and quickly changed into their clothes after being reminded that the establishment was to close soon.

It gave Yusuke time to think about what had happened. He felt strangely relieved to have shared that moment of his life and knew that his secret was safe with Akira. Maybe he was right, the scar was caused by Madarame even if he did not actively give it to Yusuke. He should probably start confronting what had happened in the shack he had called home for so long.

A chuckle pulled him back and he soon realized why Akira was amused. As promised, he had given a pair of sweatpants and a shirt to Yusuke. Both of the garments were too short for the artist and while the shirt at least managed to not give him a full-on cropped top look, the pants ended about ten centimeters beneath his knees, leaving his ankles exposed.

“Let’s get back to Leblanc,” Akira said, still smiling as they left the bathhouse, “Sorry that my clothes fit you so poorly.”  
“No worries, I expected it. I am quite a bit taller than you are after all,” Yusuke mumbled, pulling down the shirt so that the few people they passed did not see his stomach.  
“You got that one right,” Akira agreed and they both relaxed a bit more as they entered the café.

“I think we have leftover curry somewhere. It is a little bit too late to start cooking and Sojiro will hopefully not be mad if we eat it.”  
While Akira rummaged through the fridge and eventually heated the before mentioned leftovers, Yusuke stretched and looked around for Morgana. Was he out? No, he soon spotted him on one of the benches, still fast asleep. Akira soon joined him in watching the cat.

“Let’s go upstairs to eat, so we won’t wake him up,” he whispered and they made their way to the attic. It was stifling and Akira quickly opened the small windows.  
“Sorry for the heat, it tends to get really warm in here. I did not think about it.”

Yusuke only shrugged and looked around, “Where do you want to eat?”  
Akira put the plates on a small table and stopped Yusuke before he was able to sit down.  
“Just let me do one thing, ok?”

Yusuke let out an impatient huff, he had just realized how hungry he really was but complied with whatever Akira was saying. Standing still, he waited for something to happen, his gaze wandering over to the curry waiting for him.

Focusing on the food that would soon be in his stomach, he missed how Akira stepped into his personal space and suddenly pulled him into a hug. Yusuke immediately froze, not used to being touched in any other way than what was necessary for everyday life.

“Relax,” Akira mumbled against the fabric of his own shirt, currently on Yusuke.  
“What are you doing?” the taller boy asked, embarrassed to detect the slightest tremble in his voice.  
“Just hugging you. I thought you might need one after this day. First of all, you almost vomited in the Mona bus-“  
“I would never!” 

Akira snickered, “You keep telling yourself that. But I really wanted to hug you after what you told me in the bathhouse. I did not do it then and there, that would have been awkward. Do you want me to stop?”

Yusuke took a deep breath to relax, his arms were still hanging at his sides, not knowing how to react.  
“I… I don’t know,” he quietly said, looking down at Akira who had his face turned to the side. He could see his lashes and how they rested against his face. Yusuke had never realized that he had long lashes.

“You could try hugging me back?” Akira finally said and following his instructions, Yusuke raised his arms and awkwardly put them around the boy in front of him. It felt good to be held and to hold someone, he had to admit at least that much. 

Akira always seemed to know how to comfort someone. Yusuke had witnessed that talent before. When he talked to Makoto after she had awakened her Persona. The way in which he stopped during training to check on Ryuji, putting an arm around his shoulder when the other was complaining about his leg. Ann had told him that Akira kept asking her about her friend and provided helpful conversations when she was struggling. How was he able to do all of that when Yusuke could not even keep up a casual conversation?

The rumbling of his stomach broke the comfortable silence and this time Akira let out a loud laugh.  
“I think you really need to eat,” he grinned and let go of Yusuke. Even though hugging had only increased his body temperature, the blue-haired boy missed the warmth that came with Akira and reluctantly moved to one of the chairs to sit down and eat.

That night, as he lay on Akira’s bed (they had almost argued about where he would sleep with Akira finally succeeding when proving to Yusuke that he fit a lot better on the small couch in his room), Yusuke thought back to what had happened that day. He knew that he tremendously enjoyed spending time with Akira, almost everyone did, so that should not come as a surprise, right?

He turned, comforted by the light of the moon which made it easier to sleep. The light also illuminated Akira’s crouched form, that couch had to be uncomfortable Yusuke thought. From the looks of it, the other boy was fast asleep and Yusuke turned once again, trying to follow Akira’s example.

The sheets smelled faintly of perfume and something else. Yusuke pressed his face closer to the pillow under his head when he suddenly realized that he was essentially inhaling Akira’s scent. Turning onto his back, he fought against the embarrassment that threatened to surface. This was not at all like that one time he had what some might call a slight crush on a boy in middle school. This was something else entirely and it frightened him to no end.


	4. Chapter 4

For the first time in weeks, Yusuke did not wake up from the alarm he had set for himself. Instead, the soft tickles of sunbeams made him open his eyes. That and the fact that he could hear voices around him. That was weird, who was in his dorm room?

His eyes needed a second to focus on his surroundings but he soon realized that he was not in his room but the attic above Leblanc. Right, he had spent the night at Akira’s place. The events of the past evening suddenly flooded his memories and he felt the urge to pull the blanket over his head. 

Yusuke had always had problems with categorizing and naming feelings. He did not know why he liked things and sometimes even hated specific people or… well… things. It was hard for him to grasp concepts, it was not like he did not feel but he had never been taught what a stirring in his chest or a knot in his stomach was supposed to represent. Because of this, he tended to act on impulse when things finally bubbled to the surface or tried to lock away whatever he was dealing with. 

While being Madarame’s student this had worked extremely well. No one was interested in him, apart from his ability to paint, but now he had friends and most of them were of the kind that wanted to talk things out. Ann, Makoto, and even Ryuji had tried talking to him about how he felt more than once and while only Akira’s silent companionship had finally coaxed something out of him, Yusuke still had to get used to opening up about what was going on in his head and what he was feeling.

This was now becoming more difficult since he began experiencing a completely new feeling. One that on the one hand felt like it overpowered him, by the sheer newness of what was happening, while it simultaneously bugged him. He needed to concentrate on his projects and it became increasingly difficult.

Yusuke groaned and he heard a rough chuckle from across the room. He peeked over the end of his blanket and spotted Akira, casually dressed in jeans and a shirt, leaning against the wall right next to the stairs that led down to the café.

“Finally up?”  
Yusuke immediately felt guilty for having overslept and made a move to quickly roll out of bed, “I am sorry. I did not mean to impose on you. You probably want to get going, let me just—“

A hand on his shoulder stopped him and when he looked up Akira was suddenly standing next to him, pushing down gently to keep him where he was. The touch made him stop in his tracks.

“I wasn’t complaining Yusuke. No worries. I let you sleep. You always look so tired and since we want to go back to Futaba’s palace today I though you need some rest. Breakfast is waiting downstairs by the way,” Akira’s smile relaxed the taller boy and he let out a breath he had held for some time.

“Breakfast sounds wonderful,” he finally agreed and looked for his clothes. It would be weird to sit in Leblanc in borrowed sweatpants and a shirt that occasionally showed his stomach. Sojiro would probably not welcome that kind of display while his regular customers came in to get their coffee and the daily dose of gossip.

Akira thankfully read the room and left once again, leaving Yusuke to himself while the artist put on his clothes. After that he began brushing his fingers through his hair, trying to get it to look at least a bit neater than before. It would have to do and Yusuke made his way down the stairs, already giddy that he would get something proper to eat first thing in the morning.

When he finally fully entered the main part of Leblanc, Yusuke immediately spotted Akira at the counter. Sojiro was busy preparing coffee in the back but gave him a short nod, indicating that it was alright that Yusuke had stayed the night. Akira was sitting in front of a steaming plate of curry, next to him an identical one was waiting for the blue-haired boy.

Even Morgana had reappeared, sleeping on one of the barstools. He quickly glanced up as Yusuke sat down and yawned in a very cat-like manner. Yusuke kept that observation to himself, knowing that his teammate would not like to be called a cat. Having curry first thing in the morning was something he was not used to but he also was not really used to eat anything for breakfast. Plus, the spices his nose picked up made his stomach grumble even more.

“Dig in,” Sojiro’s rough voice pulled him from his thoughts and he immediately went for the spoon as he sat down. Akira was watching him for a minute before starting with his food, happily munching away. Being at Leblanc felt right and Yusuke felt something akin to comfort for the first time in a long while.

The curries and coffees were quickly consumed and while Akira explained to Sojiro that they would spend the day around the city, Yusuke looked around Leblanc. His eyes soon fell on the Sayuri and he felt a smile form on his face. The painting really brightened up the otherwise very brown café. He did not regret leaving it there, it always gave him a reason to stop by, talk to Akira, have coffee, or watch the customers.

“You alright?”  
Akira was watching him, worry furrowing his brow. Yusuke made haste to nod.  
“I was just thinking. I am good. Thank you for breakfast and letting me stay the night,” he directed the last sentence at Sojiro, who only gave him a grumpy shrug in response. 

“I don’t care as long as you two do not disturb the customers,” the older man finally said, shooting a glance at Akira over the top of his glasses. Yusuke did not grasp the hidden meaning behind that gesture but he watched the other boy’s cheeks turn pink.

“What do you—“ he began but Akira already pulled on his sleeve.  
“We should get going, otherwise we will be late!”  
Yusuke was surprised to be pulled from the start of a conversation so abruptly but followed his friend out of Leblanc. They were followed by Mona who stretched as soon as they closed the door behind themselves.

“Akira, is everything alright? My bag is still in your room,” he said, straightening the sleeve of his shirt.  
“What a daring escape,” Morgana commented and began looking up and down the narrow street. Yusuke was still confused but kept his mouth shut until Akira began talking, hands buried in his pants.

“I just did not want to start a whole conversation with Sojiro. The way I have come to know him, he might find something that bothers him while talking about it and I don’t want to hinder future meetups at Leblanc," he explained, almost rushing through the words. 

Yusuke realized that something was suspicious but remained silent. Just as Akira had waited for him to open up, he would do the same for his friend. He also really enjoyed seeing the light dusting of pink on Akira’s face and tried to keep that picture in mind, maybe it would be something he could paint at some point in the future.

“You can fetch your bag after the infiltration if that is ok?” Akira rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke and Yusuke nodded, “I don’t plan on staying too long in that pyramid anyways. It is our summer break after all and we should be able to enjoy at least a bit of it.”

Morgana looked as if he wanted to protest but he closed his mouth again, glancing at Akira with a sigh. If a cat could sigh. Maybe he wanted to go a bit easier on their team leader? Even Akira had begun looking tired and they were indeed all in need of more sleep and relaxing hours during their break.

“I am just glad that it is a bit cooler inside. If we were to keep running around in that village I would die of thirst, exhaustion, and every other possible thing,” Ann sighed.

After the somewhat weird morning at Leblanc, Yusuke and Akira had finally met up with their friends and returned to Futaba’s palace. After running around the nearby village they had eventually entered the pyramid again and it was indeed a bit more bearable inside. Yusuke was still struggling though.

While they took a short break in one of the safer rooms, the artist observed his friends. Ann and Makoto looked relatively fine, having just shared a bottle of water between the two of them. Ryuji was slouching against one of the walls, using some kind of object as a fan and complaining about the fact that he should have chosen shorts as his outfit instead of the leather suit he was wearing. 

Yusuke smirked at that, all of their Thieves’ outfits were not really made for hot places and he was thankful for the fact that he could pull down the zipper of his suit just a little lower, always making sure that he was not suddenly half-naked. 

When he looked up again he found Akira watching him.  
“Is something the matter?”  
The black-haired boy quickly shook his head, “Just wanting to make sure that you are alright. Do you want some water?”

“Hey, I want water too!” Morgana’s voice rang through the room and they all chuckled. Akira distributed some bottles, where he kept them was a mystery to Yusuke but he had long ago simply decided to roll with whatever the Metaverse threw at him. 

While gulping down some of the cool liquid, he watched Akira interacting with Morgana. He surely must be sweating too, wearing that thick coat over his… well. Yusuke did not really know what Akira’s outfit looked like underneath the coat, probably a long-sleeved vest, right? 

He suddenly found himself transfixed by a single bead of sweat which slowly made its way down their leader’s temple until it was absorbed by the fabric of his outfit. Before he was caught staring he quickly focused on the water bottle in his hand, making sure to empty it. It would surely not be beneficial to space out like that while they were inside a palace.

Yusuke was glad that they went back to securing their escape route and finding the Will Seeds soon after that. His habit of staring at people had always been troublesome but mostly due to the fact that others felt violated by it. This time, or rather only when he looked at Akira, Yusuke was the one that felt disturbed. Or maybe not disturbed but rather strangely intrigued?

He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, they had been ever-present, making it hard for him to focus on the battles and when they finally found the last Will Seed he realized how exhausted he felt. It did not help that they had also heard what the voices Futaba kept hearing were talking about, a moment which shook all of them and spurred them on to go through the palace as quickly as possible.

To be frank, Yusuke felt as if the pyramid so far had been one of the easier palaces, at least in his mind. He found the same opinion reflected by Ann who was talking about it as they returned to the real world and even though it had been warm inside the pyramid, no one felt as exhausted as the day before.

“Shall we steal the treasure tomorrow?” Ryuji asked as they walked towards Leblanc.  
“If we are up to it, yes. I’d like to make sure that Futaba feels better as soon as possible,” Akira mused, pushing his unruly locks back from his forehead. Yusuke almost overheard Ryuji’s answer but managed to grasp that they would meet up somewhere around the same time the next day.

After saying goodby to the others, Yusuke trailed behind Akira, he still needed to get his bag before returning to his dorms. Akira was typing away on his phone, eventually shoving it into one of the pockets of his jeans and Morgana was nowhere to be seen, probably back on one of his secret missions (or just playing cat around the neighborhood).

“What do you think about the whole situation with Futaba?”  
Akira’s voice sounded a bit rough, it always did after their infiltrations since he was busy directing all of them.

Yusuke thought for a moment before answering, “I think it is right that we try to help her as soon as possible. The voices she keeps hearing are surely torturing her and while I get that she wants to hide away, I think it will benefit her that we are trying to help. I like this a lot more than changing some corrupt person’s heart. I know that we are always making a difference but this time I think we can really help someone. That might sound improper though, I hope you understand.”

Akira nodded slowly, they had arrived at Leblanc but he did not make any move to enter the café.  
“I understand. By changing rotten people’s hearts we do help people too but it feels better to help Futaba. I think it will also benefit Sojiro, so that’s another thing. I have grown to like him a lot more than in the beginning and it would be great to see him relax a bit.”

Akira shrugged but the seemingly nonchalant gesture did not hide the fact that he seemed genuinely worried. Yusuke hesitated before speaking again, “I still have to get my bag. Do you want to do anything this evening? We could go grab a bite somewhere?”

He had never asked Akira for a meeting outside of needing help with one of his art projects and it hit him just as unexpectedly as it seemed to hit Akira. He soon realized that his friend began fidgeting and Yusuke’s heart sank. Maybe he had been to forward?

“I am sorry, Yusuke. I already made plans with Makoto. She needs my help with something.”  
Right, he had probably been texting with their latest team member about their plans on the way back. Yusuke forced himself to smile and nodded.

“I understand. I just wanted to ask since you have taken such great care of me yesterday. Let me just get my stuff and I’ll be out of your hair.”  
Instead of waiting for Akira to say something in response, he brushed past him and walked into Leblanc. 

Sojiro shot them both a surprised look but did not comment further. One of his regulars was busy talking to him so Yusuke simply walked upstairs to the attic. His bag was sitting where he had left it that morning and he quickly grabbed it. Akira had climbed the stairs just behind him and shot him another apologetic look.

“We can do something tomorrow maybe? After the palace?”  
Yusuke nodded, already knowing that they would all be exhausted if the really stole the treasure but he did not want to be ungrateful towards his friend.  
“Let’s just wait and see. As I said, thank you for letting me stay here yesterday and for your support. I… do not really talk to a lot of people, no one to be truthful. It really helped.”

A small smile managed to return to Akira’s face and he nodded slowly, “I am always here to talk. Just a phone call away to be precise.”  
Yusuke returned the smile and made for the stairs, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”  
“Alright, see you.”

Akira stayed behind, probably to freshen up, so Yusuke only had to say goodbye to Sojiro before he left Leblanc. The air had cooled down a bit and it felt as if some sort of electricity was surrounding him as soon as he walked towards the station.

His worry soon turned out to be warranted, the first drop of rain hit him a few meters before the safety of a roof and in a matter of seconds it began raining as if someone up there wanted them to drown. Yusuke was used to torrential rain and it was around the time of year where this kind of thing happened. 

He still hurried towards the station and barely managed to get onto the train. With a huff, he sat down and looked at his phone. Ryuji had sent some sort of, apparently funny, picture, he called it a meme, but Yusuke did not know what that was supposed to be. Ann had already scolded their friend. Yusuke just sent a question mark and waited for a few minutes. Neither Akira nor Makoto responded and he sighed.

He knew that Akira had deep bonds with all of them, so why did he feel as if he had just been rejected? He had simply asked if they wanted to do something, they were friends and that kind of thing was normal, right? Maybe he should get back to only hanging out with their leader when it concerned his projects, that might be a good idea. 

Without looking at his phone again, Yusuke shoved it into his bag and tried to focus on the people around him. It gave him some resemblance of peace and he felt a bit better when he reached the station closest to his dorms. Maybe he should try painting this evening? That would surely take his mind off other things.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while so I hope that there are still a few out there who'd like to read more! Hope you're all doing well in these strange times!

The next two days flew by in a busy but comfortable haze. Yusuke concentrated on his projects and when he was not occupied with working on paintings he joined his friends in exploring Futaba’s palace. Futaba had arguably grown close to everyone during that time, even if they did not really talk to or even meet up with her, they all wanted to desperately help her. 

Since it would also help Sojiro, they tried to get it done as quickly as possible. Akira did not talk about it frequently but Yusuke and the others noticed that he had grown to like his current living situation and while the old man could be a bit too much from time to time, he had his good traits, too. 

It was surprising to all of them that it had not been hard to find the treasure and after Futaba agreed to help them by cooperating and even awakening her Persona, they were able to eventually steal her heart. After that, the only thing that surprised them was that their new acquaintance seemed to be too wiped out to interact with anyone, which led to them calling the mysterious doctor Akira knew.

After making sure that Futaba was comfortable, Yusuke and the others decided to spend some time together and have a bowl of Ramen at a new restaurant that Ryuji had discovered on his way home. For one thing, they wanted to celebrate their success and the possible new team member, but they were also in desperate need of doing something that did not have to do with running around a palace set in the desert.

While Ryuji once again complained about their slow climb to fame, accompanied by Ann’s chastising commentary, Akira was leaning towards Makoto, making quiet conversation. Yusuke’s ears picked up small parts of their talk, Makoto was worried about a friend, and Akira had helped her get to the bottom of it. 

From what he overheard the situation was still developing but instead of continuing to listen, the artist tried to concentrate on his food. It was not appropriate to eavesdrop after all. He could feel Morgana’s eyes on him, the cat was sitting in Akira’s bag, safely positioned on a chair. He returned the look and was surprised to find that the small mouth of the cat looked as if his team member was smiling. An encouraging smile at that.

Slightly disturbed by the cat’s face, Yusuke looked up again, this time Ann’s eyes found his.  
“You alright Yusuke?”  
She looked a bit worried, so he made haste to answer, “Ah, yes. Just a bit tired but I guess that was to be expected from our rather quick infiltration.”

It seemed to satisfy Ann but now Akira piped up, “Guys, I am sorry if the infiltration tired you out. I just wanted to make sure that we can help Futaba as quickly as possible.”  
Yusuke immediately felt guilty, his intention had not been to complain but he could not take back his words now, could he?

“Don’t worry too much Akira. We are glad that we could help, right?”  
Ryuji managed to lighten the mood in a matter of seconds and they all smiled at each other, especially as Morgana managed to wiggle his head out of the bag, loudly complaining that he was hungry, too. Another patron gave them a confused look. Right, to anyone outside their group Morgana sounded like a normal cat.

Akira quickly shushed Morgana and slipped him a piece of meat. The cat happily munched away and Yusuke took a deep breath. He liked spending time with the team but after two days that had been filled with nothing but running and very little painting, he realized that he would have to get back to his canvas or at least sketchbook rather sooner than later. He was still a few weeks away from finishing his big project but he was also required to hand in a few sketches from everyday life. Whatever that meant.

There were already some of those moments captured on numerous papers in his dorm, featuring vague shapes of his friends, the subway station, and Morgana. Maybe he should go to one of the parks next, Tokyo had a few beautiful green spots all over the city and they were a good place to pursue his habit of people watching.

He made mental note to set that plan into action the next day, especially since they would now have some free time, thanks to waiting for Futaba to wake up. The rest of the meal was filled with relaxed conversations and when they left the restaurant Ryuji stretched while simultaneously trying to stifle a yawn. 

“I don’t know about you, but I am beaten. Let’s go home!”  
Makoto nodded, she looked a little tired, her braid loosening while she moved her head. Yusuke also felt tiredness coil around his bones and suddenly longed for his bed. He went through periods where staying up late into the night was no problem, but from time to time his body demanded a proper night’s rest.

As usual, he found himself walking alongside Akira on his way to the station. One of the trains they had to take was the same. The silence stretched between them and, for the first time, it felt uncomfortable. Before Yusuke was able to say something, anything, Akira cleared his throat and stopped walking.

Surprised, the taller boy only managed to stop as well after making two more steps. He turned around to look at his friend.  
“Is everything alright? We will miss the train,” it sounded weird, even to his own, untrained-when-it-comes-to-social-cues ears.

Akira slowly nodded before beginning to walk again, “I just wanted to ask you something.”  
“Really? What is it?”  
Yusuke started moving too and waited for his friend to answer, pressing him would lead to nothing and he also was not sure if he wanted to know what Akira was thinking about.

“I am still sorry for not being free the last time you wanted to hang out,” Akira began and waved a hand through the air when he noticed that Yusuke wanted to protest. When the other closed his mouth again, he continued, “That is why I wanted to ask if you are interested in hanging out tomorrow? If you don’t have anything else to do of course.”

Yusuke needed a moment to think about it. Had he not come to the conclusion to not spend time outside of projects and Phantom Thieves business with Akira anymore? It probably was unfair towards his friend but when his heart rate increased just by thinking about hanging out he knew that he should come up with something and fast.

“I was thinking about going to the park for a project,” Yusuke blurted out and was immediately met with “Sounds fun,” from Akira. Wait, did he want to accompany him? Yusuke glanced at his friend, it would surely be boring to go with the artist, right? Instead of whatever he expected to see on Akira’s face, Yusuke could only make out genuine excitement about hanging out.

“It will probably be bothersome for you…”  
His cautious words made Akira raise his head, “Why would it be bothersome? I like spending time with you and watching you draw has its perks. It is the only time in which you seem to truly relax, I like it.”

Well, there was certainly no need to try and get out of this now, was there? While waiting for the train and driving their short route together, they came up with when they would meet and when Yusuke exited the train to switch lines, Akira simply told him that he was looking forward to their outing.

While the artist was looking forward to hanging out as well, he felt unsure about what was going on. Was this what he had always heard about? Being nervous around someone, not being able to concentrate? He racked his brain so much that he almost did not realize that he had arrived at his dorm. Only when he collided with someone did he look up, surprised to see that he had bumped into Ann.

“What are you doing here?” Yusuke asked, immediately scolding himself for sounding so harsh. His blonde friend shrugged it off with a smile, already being used to his blunt personality.   
“I wanted to check in on you. I was on my way home when I came up with the thought, I texted you, didn’t you look at your phone? You must have been busy, I have been here for a few minutes.”

He apologetically shook his head, glancing towards the entrance of the building in front of them. Surely no one would object if he had a friend over, right?  
“Do you want to come in? There is some kind of rule regarding visits but we should be on the safe side for at least an hour,” he explained, feeling nervous about the sudden visit. He liked Ann but she had a tendency to be impulsive and it often took him by surprise.

Ann nodded and followed him up the stairs to where his room was situated. She had never been over, none of the Thieves had visited him in his new lodgings and Yusuke sent a silent prayer to whoever was willing to listen that it looked at least a little bit as if he cared about his surroundings.

“This is nice,” his friend commented when they entered his room, looking around and taking in the things that were on display. Luckily, Yusuke had managed to wash the dishes before leaving that morning and the only thing that captured someone’s attention was his unfinished art project, propped up in the middle of his room.

“It’s not much but it is better than the room I had when I still lived with Madarame,” Yusuke said and Ann nodded thoughtfully.  
“You should pay attention to the stains on the floor though, I don’t think the management will be happy about it,” she motioned to a few splatters of paint and he shrugged. He already counted on having to replace the floors once he moved out.

“Did you just come here to see my room, or…” he trailed off as Ann took a seat on the stool he used for painting. Should he offer her water or something like that? Water was the only thing he had around, to be honest. 

Ann waited a few seconds before sighing, “Could you sit down, too? It feels weird to be the only one that is sitting and I wanted to talk about something.”  
Yusuke reluctantly pulled over his folded Futon and carefully sat down on it. That seemed to satisfy her and Ann cleared her throat before beginning to talk.

“As I said, I came here to talk, or rather, ask you something,” she faltered, quickly looking at Yusuke who lowered his head, indicating that it was alright to keep talking. It would probably be some weird question, maybe she needed help with something? He was not prepared for what followed.  
“Yusuke, have you ever been in love?”

The question took him by surprise and it must have been visible on his face.  
Ann hurried to add, "You don't have to answer, I was just wondering.”  
“I… It’s not that I don’t want to answer but what brought this on?” Yusuke had to concentrate on not stammering and earned a pitying look from Ann. Great, while he was usually able to just say anything in a calm manner, this had completely blindsided him.

“Can you answer my question first?”  
Yusuke pinched the bridge of his nose, deflecting the question apparently did not work.  
“I do not think I have ever been in love but I have also never really thought about it. Does that answer your question?”

“Hm… not even a crush on someone?”  
“Ann…” even Yusuke recognized the annoyed tone in his voice and sighed, “I am sorry. I am tired and I don’t want to be mean but could you kindly tell me what is going on? I am surely not the best person to come to regarding love advice should you need any.”

Now it was her turn to look at him with wide eyes, “L-love advice? I don’t need love advice, thank you very much.”  
Yusuke smiled but decided to not bully her into making some sort of confession. He was fairly sure that Ann had a crush on Ryuji but kept that observation to himself for now. No need to add to him being unpleasant, he had already managed to be a bit of an irksome person that day.

“It is alright. So, why did you want to ask me about love?”  
Ripping it off like a band-aid would help, right? She must have had some weird idea and talking about it would lead to her being satisfied and him being able to go to bed a bit earlier so that he would be at least somewhat well-rested in the morning.

“I asked about YOU being in love. Well, if you want to deny it, let’s go back to you having a crush on someone. Is that something that happened to you before?”  
Yusuke thought back to that incident in middle school and his conflicting feelings right now and decided to humor Ann, “I think I may have had a crush on someone before, yes.”

“Really?”  
“Why are you so surprised?” Suddenly feeling unsure about this again, Yusuke crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
“I don’t want to be rude but you always seem to float above everyone. I did not know if you are even looking for something romantic or anything like that, which would also be alright of course,” she hurried through her sentence and Yusuke sighed.

“I think I am able to… develop romantic feelings. I just never really learned how to show affection or what to do with my feelings,” opening up to Ann felt safe. Yusuke knew that he would not be judged, so he threw her that bone, hoping that this would lead to her reason for even asking that question.

Instead, it led to her looking even closer at him, “Yusuke, I am sorry to hear that. You can always come to me and talk if you need help with anything, you know that, right?”  
The blue-haired boy snorted, “Funny, Akira said the same thing not too long ago.”  
“He is right though, you should talk to us. Not all of us of course, you can pick and choose whoever you want to open up too. I have to say that Akira is a good choice though. He really manages to make you feel safe, right?”

“I guess,” Yusuke answered, suddenly fascinated by his floor. Ann had been right, it was covered in paint. He could feel his friend’s eyes on his head and flinched when she sat down next to him.  
“Yusuke?”   
“Hm?” Even his eloquence had its boundaries.

“You don’t have to answer me or anything like that, alright?” The artist nodded and waited for her to continue, which she did after a few seconds, “Have you developed feelings for Akira? Feelings that surpass friendship?”

He looked up at her question, feeling panic rise in his chest, “Ann, Akira is a boy.”  
Yusuke knew that his kind-of-excuse did not sound convincing and was even surer of it when she rolled her eyes.  
“As if I would care about something like that. If there is one thing you should have taken from how we all became friends it’s that we don’t care about something like that. So… am I right about this?"

His face was probably as red as the crimson color he had spotted sitting right next to from where Ann was staring at him. He should say something, his mind was screaming at him but to his surprise, he could not seem to manage to form any sentences at that moment.

With panic climbing up his throat, Yusuke suddenly felt a hand on his back.  
“It’s alright Yusuke. Breathe,” Ann murmured and it took the artist a moment to realize that she had pulled him into a loose hug. How had he never known how comforting that simple touch was?

While hugging Akira had led to him feeling nervous, holding Ann was much more relaxing. They stayed in that position for a few moments more before he carefully straightened himself, ready to talk to his friend. Ann continued looking at him with a small smile and even though they had stopped hugging, she was still clinging to his arm, rubbing soothing circles over the fabric of his shirt.

Yusuke cleared his throat, “I don’t know what I am feeling. This is new to me. I… I once had a fascination with someone and it feels a bit like that time long ago. I never explored feelings like that so I don’t really know how to go on.”

This time, Ann seemingly could not stop the grin that spread over her face and Yusuke raised his eyebrows, what was going to happen now? Instead of being told off, as had been the case with Madarame all those years ago, Ann clapped her hands, “I knew it! I immediately realized when you kept staring at Akira during dinner today!”

Oh god, had he been so obvious?  
“You… knew?” was all he managed to get out.  
“I suspected. You always spend quite some time looking at all of us, which is kind of normal for an artist, right?” Yusuke nodded while she continued, “But you look at Akira differently. As if you want to understand him, not simply draw him. I don’t know how to explain it. I think it’s cute.”

Yusuke let out a bitter laugh, “Cute? Well, it is great that you find my confusion amusing.”  
Ann sighed, “That’s not how I meant it. As I said, I don’t want to force you to talk about anything but if you ever want to talk, I am here, alright? Doesn’t it feel good to have someone who kind of knows what’s going on in your mind? We can meet up tomorrow if you want to talk about it some more? I should probably get going now…”

Yusuke was still busy understanding that he had been found out. Well, his crush had apparently been more obvious than he had hoped. As long as Akira had not noticed he should be fine though. When he returned to the conversation, he realized that Ann was still waiting for an answer.

“I, I am actually meeting Akira tomorrow.”  
“Ohhh, is that so?” Ann smiled and poked his shoulder.  
“It’s not what you think. He wanted to meet up and I need help with a project!”  
Yusuke could feel his ears grow hot, great, kind of opening up to Ann had made it even easier for him to show how weird he was feeling.

The blonde tried to hide her smile as she got up and stretched, “You’ll manage Yusuke. Even if you slip up, you can always put it off as you being eccentric.”  
Yusuke followed her example, realizing how tired he had suddenly gotten. 

As Ann shouldered her bag, she turned around to him, “Thank you for being honest, Yusuke. I meant what I said. Feel free to text me if you want to talk or just need encouragement.”  
“I don’t think I’ll need encouragement, I am not planning on doing anything. Akira seems to be busy with a lot of other people in his life and I am pretty much incapable of coming up with anything that would help me.”

He noticed how bitter he sounded, which was why he was surprised to see Ann smiling, “I would not count on that but you do you. Keep me in the loop pretty boy!”  
She pulled him into another quick hug, the one from a few moments back had apparently opened a new way for her to show her friendly affection.

Yusuke let it happen and watched while Ann walked down the corridor of his dorm complex. When she had vanished, he closed the door and needed to take a few breaths. Was it possible to feel even more nervous about the next day? And what had Ann meant when she said he should not count on Akira being busy with other people? Or had she talked about him being incapable? Who knew.

The blue-haired boy shook his head and decided to really go to sleep right now. He needed a clear head for the next day, especially since he wanted to start his new project. That was all or at least all he was ready to admit to himself at that moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry that it takes me forever to update this - I'll try and be more consistent in the future but life happens! Well, let's hope you enjoy this new chapter! :)

Was he late? No, he was early. That was why he was still waiting for Akira.  
Yusuke sighed and put his phone back into his pocket. The morning had already been hectic as it was, with him waking up in a cold sweat but unable to remember what he had dreamt of. Getting ready for meeting Akira also came with its difficulties, even if he wanted to put in the effort, he had next to no clothes to begin with, so he settled with his usual get-up, a shirt and a simple pair of pants.

Around him, people were meeting up, in friend groups or as couples. Yusuke watched them as if on reflex, always busy finding something worthy to depict. He had arrived early, scared to be late, and had already received a text from Ann, wishing him good luck. He snorted, while talking to her had proven to be beneficial he was cautious to treat this meeting as anything more than it actually was. Simply spending time together.

The artist sighed and began fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Having been told that he was watching Akira had shaken him up a bit more than he had anticipated. Deep down, he had known that the affection for his friend was probably something more akin to having a crush than just being friends, but it still scared him. Luckily, he was not able to rack his brain further since Akira suddenly stepped out of the crowd and, after taking a moment to localize his friend, walked up to him.

“There you are, I thought I was late but it seems as if I made it on time,” he grinned and Yusuke returned the small smile. He subtly watched his friend, surprised to not see Morgana around.  
“Where’s Morgana? Isn’t he usually with you?”  
“Oh… uh, he is watching Futaba,” Akira murmured, and before Yusuke was able to say something else, the smaller of the two began walking towards the entrance of the park, “Let’s get going, alright?”

Yusuke followed the dark-haired boy in front of him, clutching the bag that held his drawing supplies. Right, no Morgana. That would probably be refreshing, right? He sighed, it was still warm and he usually forgot about bringing something to drink. Why was he worried about things like that all of a sudden?  
“Yusuke?”  
“Hm? Sorry, must have spaced out,” Yusuke said, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

“I was just asking about your project, was there anything particular you had in mind?”  
Right, he had planned on getting something done while hanging out with Akira.  
“I actually don’t know. Inspiration seems to have abandoned me as of late. It really is a pity… There are so many people here, I hardly know what to focus on.”

Instead of answering, Akira put a hand to his chin, seemingly in thought. It took him a minute before he said something, “How about renting a boat? You could watch the ducks or other people, and there won’t be so many things at once on the lake. I also brought a book, so we could spend some time just relaxing?”  
Yusuke nodded immediately, “Sounds interesting, let’s do it!”

That was how they ended up in one of the rowing boats and after Akira took over the rowing part (not without mentioning that it looked a bit too heavy for Yusuke), they found themselves in the middle of the lake. Yusuke carefully took out his sketching pad and a few pencils, placing both on his legs while watching his friend.

“You really brought a book, right? I do not wish to bore you with my course work.”  
Akira triumphantly held up a book, Yusuke could barely make out the title, but it immediately relaxed him.

“No worries Yusuke. As I said, I also enjoy watching you draw, so I will be fine,” Akira trailed off as a few flower petals sailed past his face. Yusuke resisted the urge to just start drawing his friend but was rescued by Akira clearing his throat, “I should bring a girl here.”

Yusuke felt his blood run cold. Of course, that was something one would think about. Especially someone like Akira who got along well with almost everyone. He had to take a second to get his thoughts in order before speaking up, “Girl? Does that mean you have a girlfriend? You should have mentioned sooner!”

To Yusuke's surprise, Akira’s cheeks grew pink and he curtly shook his head.  
“I don’t have a girlfriend, no worries. I was just thinking aloud, isn’t that something people would do here? Go on a date?”  
“I would not know,” Yusuke muttered and before giving Akira a chance to respond, the artist began dragging his pencil over the rough paper of the sketching paper.

Taking this as a silent request to do his own thing, Akira opened his book and began reading. Yusuke spent some time just sketching out random things he spotted around them, before settling on what seemed to be a couple in a boat next to them. It reminded him of how Akira had just talked about bringing a girl to this place and he forced himself to take a deep breath.

Love had to be great, so maybe exploring the wonders of this emotion could help him work through what he was currently experiencing. He felt Akira’s gaze on his hands and it only took another minute before the dark-haired boy spoke up.  
“What are you drawing?”

“The couple over there. I hope to capture their bashful profiles and the way their eyes shine when looking at each other,” Yusuke knew that he was babbling but he did not care. Maybe this project would pull him out of his slump. Akira remained still for a few seconds, so Yusuke almost jumped when he asked his next question.

“Have you ever been in love?”  
He actually looked up from his sketch, trying to figure out what Akira meant by that question. His friend kept looking at him and the artist quickly looked down again, then back to the couple.  
“I don’t know,” he muttered as the man in the other boat suddenly moved, “Could you please remain still?!”

Since he had captured their attention now, he finally got a good look at their faces. Not remarkable, they almost looked the same. Yusuke kept staring at them, prompting the man to speak up when he registered that he was the object of one of the artist’s sketches, “The dude’s off his rocker… Come on, let’s report him.”

Yusuke ignored the threat, he was often called crazy but no one really cared in the end. What came as a surprise was the fact that he was told that they were brother and sister, not a couple. The man, obviously embarrassed, even spat out that riding a boat was only something for stupid couples.

Yusuke cast a glance at Akira who seemed to be torn between snorting and looking bewildered. He quickly realized that he was being watched and turned to Yusuke, “Love comes in all forms, I guess?”  
The artist sighed, putting his sketching pad down, “Perhaps the truth of the heart lies in the eye of the beholder…” he muttered, suddenly unsure. How had he not realized that he had tried to draw siblings? Something must have given them away, right? He really did not understand anything about love after all.

The voice of the woman reached his ears as she and her brother rowed back to the lakeside, “Wait, so only couples ride these things, right? That means those two…”  
She was quickly shushed by her brother, “There are people from all walks of life here in the city!”

Yusuke felt his face grow hot and prayed that Akira had not paid attention. His friend obviously had heard everything so he quickly said, “I am sorry for this, it is just talk I guess. Furthermore, I not only forced you to spend time with me in a boat but now I have not even finished a project. This day really is a disaster.”

Akira kept staring at him, “Do you want to go home?”  
Yusuke worried his lip between his teeth before nodding slowly, “I would prefer that. Yes. I still need to come up with something so I might just try drawing something in my dorm…”  
Was Akira disappointed? He looked like it but Yusuke did not dare to hope. He must have hated this day and the talk about dating, he probably even realized that Yusuke was weird when it came to these kinds of things.

Without talking any more, Akira made sure that they reached land and waited patiently for Yusuke as he had some troubles climbing out of the boat. Both of them stretched once before making their way towards the station.  
Right before reaching the place, Akira cleared his throat, “I had fun today.”

Yusuke heard himself snort, something he rarely did and it also caught Akira by surprise.  
“Sorry. I do not want to pry, but why? Nothing good happened today,” Yusuke mumbled, gripping the shoulder strap of his bag a bit tighter. Akira stopped him with a simple tug on his shirt.  
“I wouldn’t say that, I got to hang out with you after all,” Akira said, sounding annoyingly relaxed.

“I, I mean… I guess that is true,” Yusuke stuttered and earned one of Akira's rare genuine smiles. His team leader glanced at the display boards and suddenly realized that he was about to miss his train.  
“Oh shit, listen! Let’s do something again soon, ok? Text me, I gotta go!”

Akira quickly padded Yusuke’s shoulder and took off, leaving behind a startled artist who absentmindedly touched that part of his upper body where he had just been touched. He really was a mystery to Yusuke, how could he act so friendly but also guarded all at once. Had he meant it when he said that he wanted to hang out again?

Maybe he should text Ann. Yusuke thought about it while boarding his train and ended up sending a rather lengthy message to his friend, detailing everything that happened over the day. He had to wait for her reply until he was back at his dorm, heating some water for the last cup of ramen he found in the back of one of his cupboards.

When his phone beeped, he was surprised to be greeted by a row of laughing emojis. Ann quickly clarified that she was laughing about the brother and sister he and Akira had disturbed. The next message she sent sounded a bit more serious.

 **Ann:** Sounds like you had a good time! And I think it is great that he said that he wants to meet up again soon! How about you hit him up tomorrow, you could plan a nice date! (followed by an emoji that stuck out its tongue)

Yusuke poured the hot water over his noodles before replying.

 **Yusuke:** Did you not read the part about him wanting to bring a girl to the park? I am afraid there will be no date. I might text him, or hit him up as you put it, though. Maybe it will be easy to just keep things on a friendship level.

While Ann was busy typing, Yusuke looked around his room, maybe he would find something he could use as a model for his new piece? He did not have a lot of things to begin with but spotted a bowl of fruit that had not begun to rot as of now. That would have to do, it would not be his best work but he had to observe something. 

Stirring in his noodles, he took his phone and took a seat on his floor, leaning against the wall while reading Ann’s latest text.

 **Ann:** As far as I know, Akira could just be talking nonsense. Maybe he doesn’t want to offend you? He doesn’t know that you like him in that way, right? Maybe he thinks you want to bring a girl to the park?

Yusuke actually laughed, careful to not spill his food.

 **Yusuke:** I do not think Akira thinks that I would be capable of the concept of dating. He was obviously talking about himself. It does not matter now, I shall wait until I meet him again and we will see how things progress.

He could almost see her roll her eyes as he read her reply.

 **Ann:** You do you, pretty boy. Just sayin’ you won’t be the one taking the first step. Maybe I’ll have to help.

 **Yusuke:** Don’t you dare.

 **Ann:** Depends on how you act. See you soon and keep me posted.

Yusuke put down his noodles and sighed, he would have to be careful around Ann from now on. He knew that she meant well but that often included her being a bit too forceful. Maybe he should be the first to act, for once in his life something might come of it, right?  
He must have felt especially triumphant because he picked up his phone again and wrote a short message to Akira.

 **Yusuke:** About meeting up again, when are you free?

Akira surprisingly answered within five minutes.

 **Akira:** I am a bit busy the next few days, I should have mentioned that. But how about the third? You still need help with your project?

Yusuke confirmed his friend's assumptions and finished his food while waiting for a message from Akira. He hoped to not seem too eager but since Akira seemed to think that he only wanted to meet up for his project, he thought himself safe. His phone beeped again and Yusuke smiled while reading the text.

 **Akira:** Then let’s meet up on the third. Don’t plan anything, I think I know just the place for your next observation!


End file.
